Chicago – Their recent triumph at SeatGeek Stadium ensured that they would continue their run in the NWSL playoffs.
Since then, however, the Chicago Red Stars and the rest of the teams in the league have been preoccupied with another accounting, one that was made possible by the publication of the Yates Report the day after the first one.
The club’s owner, Armin Whisler, was removed from the board of directors and later walked aside from day-to-day operations after the report’s criticism of his handling of abuse charges involving previous manager Rory Dames.
The club released a statement saying, “The board wants to help facilitate a sale of Arnim’s shares in a timely process which is both prudent and when complete can lead Red Stars players, coaches, and front office staff to a better future.” Many people have called on him to sell the Red Stars, and the club has acknowledged this.
Social media posts made by Red Stars players on Monday were the first public statements made by the team since the report’s release. They expressed their “extremely grieved, angered, and appalled” by the “reprehensible conclusions of the Sally Yates report.”
The players, however, did acknowledge the club’s efforts to oust Whisler from his position as director.
The players said in a statement, “We have faith in our Board’s capacity to develop this club in a direction that is mutually advantageous to players, investors, and our fans.”
That was at the start of a week in which the Red Stars would begin their quest for the NWSL championship by maintaining a longstanding franchise tradition.
The team secured a spot in the playoffs for the seventh year in a row with a 2-0 home victory over Angel City FC on October 2. On Sunday night at 9 p.m. central, they’ll be traveling to take on the third-seeded San Diego Wave FC.
They accomplished this despite losing key players to injury and absences due to national team duty, and also including several rookies to the professional soccer scene. With first-year manager Chris Petrucelli at the helm, the club finished with a 9-7-6 record, good enough to maintain their postseason appearance run.
If they win next Sunday at 4 PM central time against the Thorns in Portland, they will play in the NWSL semifinals.